The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-01
WILD MEN OF THE PLAINS.
Life of the Savages Encountered by
Fremont in Els Early Explorations.

Life of the Savages Encountered by
Fremont in Els Early Explorations.
When Fremont explored the great basin,
out of which Nevada and Utah have since
been carved, he found the Indians really
wild men. Their business was to get food,
their recreation to make war The men
lived alone The women lived alone,
but the lives of both were de-
voted to getting something to eat, says the
Youths Companion. The women CLEANED
from the earth everything of vegetable or
insect life; the men killed every animal they
could find for food, and every man of every
other tribe for pleasure.
One day the exploring party encamped
. 900 feet up on u mountain, near O spring.
Fresh tracks made in the sand by woln-
ans naked feet were discovered, but no other
indications of human life.
After a supper of antelope steak the mon
were living around the campfire, smoking
and convelsing. Kit Carson was lying on
his back with his pipe in his mouth, bis
hands under his head, and his feet toward
the fire
Suddenly he half rose, and, pointing to
the other side of the fire, exclaimed:
'Look therer'
In the blaze of the fire, peering over her
skinny, crooked hands, which shaded her
ewes from the glare stood an old woman,
nearly naked, her grizzly hair hanging over
face and shoulders.
She had thought it a camp of her own
people and had begun to talk, when, seeing
the white faces, she became paralyzed with
| terror.
She turned to escape. but the men gath
cred around her and brought her near TO
the fire. Hunger and cold dispelled her
fears, and she made 1hc white men under
| stand that her own people had left her TO die
| at the spring because she was old and nc
| longer good for anything.
, A quarter of an antelope was given her,
| but instead Of roasting it by the fire she
darted OF with it into the darkness.
In the morning her fresh tracks at the
spring showed that she had been there fol-
water during the night The party left for
her little supply Of food, which, with
what she could gather from the nut-pine
trees, would prolong her life.
Wild men though these Indians were,
| their bows and arrows showed that they
were not destitute Of ingenuity. Their
bows were made strong by winding sinewf
| about them, and their arrows were headed
; with volcanic glass, as sharp as steel, and
+: worked in by patient labor.
+: A chief of the Tiamaths, q tribe little
more advanced than the wild men, was
killed in the night attack. He had forty
| arrows in bis culver, which Kit Carson pro
/ nounced ''the most beautiful and warlike ar.
rows he had ever seen"
They were headed with a lancet-like piece
Of iron and were poisoned for about six
inches, to which depth they could be driver
into pine tree.
These same Indians gathered in field OF
sage-brlIsh, intending to make hard fight
against Fremonts party. But the range OF
the rifles made their arrows useless.
When they were driven out OF the brush
| 1t was discovered that each Indian had
spread his arrows on the ground In fan-like
! shape, 80 that they would be ready 10 his
hand The rapid firing and the quick ad
vance OF the whites forced them TO leave 50
quickly TINT many OF them had no time to
| gather ND their arrows. They lay on the
| ground, with their bright, menacing points
] tu I'd toward the white men.